ring dings

and by "proof" I mean photographic evidence. look! I really have been knitting.here's that glove I knit that's too tight in the palm. you can kind of tell where the stitches are pulling toward the thumb area. I haven't frogged it yet, but I did start the left glove, complete with gusset. and, as far as I can tell, it's going to fit great! I'm going to try and finish it tonight or tomorrow. and then the right one will get frogged and reknit to match. at least I hope they match, since I think my note taking was a little, um, not so good.and here is the sprial/snail/dairy queen hat from the opinionated knitter. I and really loving this knit! it's my first ez knit and, good lord, is it ingenious! I'm using some lamb's pride bulky and hoping this comes out toddler sized with it's smaller gauge. so far, it's looking good. plus, it's way fun to knit!

so I spent the majority of last night folding laundry that I've been neglecting for at least a month. some stuff was so wrinkled that I felt like I'd have to wash it again if I actually planned on wearing it in public. some stuff I actually forgot I owned. and a few things seem to have gone out of style since the last time I saw them. or maybe it was out of style long ago, but I just realized it now. I suppose this is a reminder that I should fold my laundry when I actually pull it out of the dryer. and it's just a little alarming that so many items went unworn for so long and I didn't have to go au naturale in the meantime.

ok, so no pictures again... this time it's because my camera was in my car and I was too lazy to walk to 20 feet from the couch to the garage to get it last night. lazy, lazy susan... I'll try to remember to take some pictures of the not-yet-ripped-and-reknit glove tonight.

as alluded to in my previous post, my first glove was kind of a bust. I really should have gone with my instincts instead of following the pattern so closely, but it was my first glove and I didn't want to make a stupid mistake. instead, I get to reknit everything above the cuff because it came out too tight in the palm. it really isn't that big of a deal, I guess. it really only took two nights to knit. anyway, there wasn't really a gusset written into the pattern and it only increased 4 stitches total before knitting the thumb. I suspect the yarn the pattern called for (a sock yarn) is probably stretchier than the yarn I chose to use. but now I've modified the pattern so much that it feels like I'm knitting a completely different glove...

also, I didn't swatch (the horror!) even though the yarn manufacturer suggests it since the yarn comes on a cone and is oiled. there is the fear that the gloves are going to come out gimongous, but I'm crossing my fingers that they'll be ok. really, I do believe in swatching and washing the swatch, but I am usually both too lazy and too eager to knit the real thing.

and I am way running out of time with these christmas gifts. let's not even get started on my brother's sweater which has been taking a long nap (more like hibernation) in my knitting basket for pretty much all of the month of november. let's also try not to think about the fact that november is over and I guess trying to motivate myself with the nakniswemo thing didn't really work out...

but I am really making progress on the gloves and one other gift, which I should be able to show off pretty soon. and I've got some other things in mind. although tonight will probably be spent folding the 3 loads of laundry which have basically melted into a huge wrinkled mess over the last week.

man, my blog entries are getting really boring. maybe I'll have something more interesting to say soon. did I mention I'm going to san diego this weekend? I can't wait! I'll be visiting a friend who knits (actually, the one whose son now owns those pet dinos), so maybe we'll be able to drag the kiddies to a lys or two. I mean, the zoo and the beach.

here's the one and only picture I have of all my knitterly deeds from the long weekend. I finally finished isa's christmas stocking! hooray! it had been in the plans for a year, but I'd only started knitting it about two weeks ago. this actually went pretty quickly, since I guess it was basically just a giant sock. here's the info:

pattern: basic toe-up sock using magic cast-on and sherman heelyarn: araucania nature wool (held double stranded) in shade 04 (about 1.25 skein) and 01 (about 1/2 skein)needles: clover bamboo us 10.5 dpnsfinished: november 22, 2006notes: this was the first striped sock I'd ever knitted. I had some issues with tension where I changed colors (along the back of the leg). it's not super noticeable, but the color changes are a little uneven and kind of sloppy. I tried to keep it as uniform as I could, but I didn't do such a great job. how do you keep that part neat? I finished by duplicate stitching the name at the cuff with the cream colored yarn. overall, a very simple and not very time consuming knit. I wish I'd gotten it done in time for isa's first christmas last year, but I don't think it would have turned out as nice since I only started making socks for reals this year. all in all, I'm pleased with the result and I hope she likes it at least as much as she likes whatever it's going to be stuffed with come december 25.

this past long weekend held a few firsts for me. not only did I knit my first stocking and knit my first glove (no pics yet! more info on that later), but I also participated, for the first time ever, in black friday activities. well, activity. I went down to the lys in saratoga, in search of 4" dpns with which I was planning on knitting said gloves. much to my dismay, after dragging my poor turkey stuffed self out of bed at the ungodly (and still dark outside) hour of 6:00 am, I fought my way through the crowd to discover that they didn't have any! none! zero! needless to say, I was disappointed and very sleepy and comforted myself by making several unplanned purchases. and, dang, there were a lot of people there. lots and lots and lots of rabid knitters all clamoring for yarn and books and needles and so much knitterly goodness! thank god there wasn't a fire, as I'm sure we would have all perished as we used our bodies to shield all that yarn from harm.

my brain still hasn't switched back to normal functioning (which really isn't all that impressive, so you can imagine how abysmal things are right now), but I will have more to say later. hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving weekend. only 28 days of gift knitting remain!

wow... the prices at knitpicks are really on the rise. what kind of yarn is this? it better be some pretty incredible stuff for the prices they're charging. I mean, daaaaang...

so it's the friday before thanksgiving today... I can't believe how fast the days have been flying by. mostly because my christmas knitting is in a pretty dismal state. I don't even have pictures because it is almost depressing to see. I've still got the back of the brother's cambridge jacket on the needles with about ten more inches to go. and then there's the business of the two fronts and the two sleeves and collar... and that's just that one sweater! maybe he'd like a vest instead? maybe a washcloth conveniently shaped like the back of a sweater?

I'm not sure why I'm dragging on the knitting these days. I haven't even swatched for the gloves I'm supposedly making for my aunt. and I've still only got half a swatch for the phildar swing jacket which is not actually a gift, so I feel guilty working on it. I've got a few other little things in the works too, including a stocking for isa, which I'd planned on knitting last year, but didn't quite manage to make that happen. I'm actually not so excited with the way the toe turned out (I'm working toe up), so I might actually be ripping and reknitting that tonight... ugh. I can't even think about it anymore.

I think I'm going to blame it on pms. the pms is also to blame for my shopping trip to trader joes last night to pick up frozen peas. I left with the peas. but also with a cheesecake and four vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pink sprinkles. and a package of sliced salami. I ate half the salami for dinner. don't worry about my unhealthy eating habits, though - I balanced it out with a bag of microwave popcorn. and then I ate cupcakes (yes, people, that is plural cupcakes) for breakfast this morning. mmhmmm... who says there's no upside to pms?

Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.

so I guess I have no accent. but the quiz is right. I'm totally from the west. yeehaw! I did go to school in michigan, though. so I tried to channel my inner michigander (which, apparently, doesn't seem to exist) and take the quiz again, but I failed miserably and it thought I was from the south. which is actually rather ironic, because a friend of one of my roommates (from wisconsin) visited us once and told me I had a drawl. haha.

I had another weird dream last night... I was going to someone's wedding somewhere far away and, being a light traveler, just grabbed my backpack and hopped into my dad's car and let him drop me off at the airport. then, after checking in, I realized that I had nothing I needed in my backpack. but then I also thought, well, I'm getting there so early, I'll have time to just buy a new dress and some shoes before the wedding. and I could buy a new toothbrush and anything else I'd need too. but I still didn't feel quite right about it. why? because I didn't have any knitting with me. so I actually changed my flight to a later time, incurring a charge, and called my dad to come back to get me so I could go back home and pick up some knitting. I didn't stay asleep long enough to know whether or not I actually got my knitting (or what project I was working on), or whether I made it to the wedding in time. usually my knitting dreams are quite euphoric, but this one was kind of panicked. maybe because it was more about the absence of knitting than actual knitting.

but what is the meaning of this dream? I'll tell you what it is. airports need to have yarn stores, so when forgetful travelers leave their knitting at home, they don't have to change their flights and call their dads to pick them up because they can start a new project right then and there. and all the yarn should be duty free.

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? maybe? I have an aunt susan, but it's unclear whether I was named after her or whether my parents were too lazy to think of something original

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? watching the news last night. terrible things are happening in the world, my friends... john york (aka the devil) wants to move the niners away from san francisco. what is this world coming to?

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? sometimes, not because it's pretty, but because I'm the only person who can read it, which makes me feel special

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? probably not, because I would most likely not answer phonecalls from myself because my phone would be out of batteries again. we'd play phone tag for a while, then slowly forget about one another

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I do, but does it count if I haven't written in it in over 2 years and I'm not entirely sure where it is?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? no, but I might skydive. the snapping back up part of bungeeing is the biggest turn-off

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? I'm actually halfway thru eating my very mediocre vietnamese beef stew over rice right now

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? rockafeller skank (streaming on the radio)

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I'd probably be one of the ones missing it's wrapper, so no one would know what color I actually am

23. FAVORITE SMELL? coffee... mmm...

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? most. annoying. person. in. the. world. ok, maybe not the world, but certainly the most annoying person I have to talk to at work

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? I have no idea...

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE THIS FROM? I like her blog. does that count? we don't actually know each other...

27. FAVOURITE DRINK? coffee

28. FAVOURITE SPORT? football, even when it's really really bad, which it has been lately...

29. EYE COLOUR? brown

30. HAT SIZE? average, I think

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes

32. FAVORITE FOOD? coffee? if that doesn't count as a food, then I guess meat is my favorite food

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? definitely a fan of the happy. do not like the scary

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? can I have fall instead?

36. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs

37. FAVOURITE DESSERT? creme brulee

38. WHAT SIDE OF THE BED DO YOU SLEEP ON AND WHY? the side closest to the alarm clock, which is weird now that I think about it, since I don't even really like the alarm clock. maybe I just like being close so I can turn it off without much effort in the mornings

39. IF YOU DIDN'T MAKE THE DECISION TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE A FAMILY, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING TODAY? this implies I made a decision to get married, so I guess I'll answer "n/a" here

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? ohh... there is a sad sad zero amount of book reading around these parts. I have been reading a lot about the brit/kfed split, tho. does that count?

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? a mouse?

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? lost! waaaahh!!!! how will I last until february?!

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? heavy rain and lots of thunder (assuming I don't get struck by lightning)

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? beatles

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? thailand

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I can recite the alphabet backwards... does that count?

this morning, I noticed that the clock on my coffee maker was wrong. I must have forgotten to reset it after the power went out last time. I don't really use the timer, but now that I knew it was wrong, it was going to bug me, so I decided to reset it. not five seconds after I do, the power goes out. yes. it is going to be that kind of day.

it's been a while since I last posted, hasn't it? what's happened since then...? oh, right. friday night, I taught a friend to knit! she picked it up pretty quickly, too. it was a glorious occasion... especially because after she went home, she stayed up until 1am knitting. haha! she claims she's already addicted, which makes me giddy like nothing else. her husband is not quite as thrilled. I think he already resents me for introducing her to my not-so-affordable hair stylist and apparently he's a little wary of this new, expensive habit that seems to be developing. altho, he's happy she's happy. heehee. and now I (potentially) have a local knitting friend! she lives only 10 minutes away, so I'm already daydreaming about sitting around and knitting and chatting all the time... whee!

speaking of sitting around and knitting, busy schedules and other responsibilities have been getting in the way of me and hurry-up-and-get-a-blog wendy having our knitting dates lately. but monday night, we were both able to get away for a few hours and get in some good knitting time. I managed to finish this guy here:

this is the new free pattern from interweave. it's called the flip-top mitten, by debbie bliss. mine was made out of some tasty artyarns supermerino. honestly, I wasn't too pleased with the construction. it's knit flat and then seamed and the pattern doesn't tell you to do any kind of edging on the slit. I did a few rows of k1p1 ribbing so that it wouldn't curl. but by last night, I'd decided that I wasn't happy enough with the mitt to continue on to mitt #2. I also thought, why waste time actually ripping and winding the yarn when I can just knit straight from the mitt to make a new mitt? which is just what I did. laziness always seems to prevail around these parts.

this is the humble beginnings of urban necessity from magknits and the rapid demise of the flip-top mitten. I actually only have one more finger left to do on the urban necessity and I imagine I'll be able to finish it and start #2 tonight. I really should finish these soon, since I've got that nakniswemo thing that I've been neglecting... and that whole christmas gift thing...

to distract myself from the fact that I might be missing those christmas gift deadlines, I will look at this picture I took while driving (bad susan!) of the new herd of goats down the street from my house. where did these guys come from? they're on a hill on the side of the freeway in a very non-rural place (even tho it kind of looks rural in this pic). they don't seem to be bothered by all the cars whizzing by, tho, so I guess they must be having a good time. hi, goats!

although, that doesn't really make any sense in this case. since it's not like there was some sort of hard deadline I was trying to meet for socktoberfest. maybe we'll just call this one the hangover.this is one jaywalker (knit with fleece artist merino sock), ready to join my one pomo. and my one thuja. and my one koigu sock. at least I have an even number of socks now. which is like two pairs. which is three more socks than I had in september. so, there! never mind that none of them match and it's now november third.

can you believe it's november? I even got my 2008 tags for my car in the mail yesterday. it felt so weird putting them on my license plate, since 2008 seems really far away. like soo faaar... but then we get another olympics! and another president! so woohoo for that!

anyhow, speaking of november, I've decided to participate in nakniswemo, which is short for national knit a sweater month (or something like that). the idea is that you knit a whole sweater in november, which is just what I'm hoping to do with my brother's christmas gift (fingers crossed). I don't think it's cheating if I'd already had a tiny bit of it knitted already, does it? not like I really think I'll be disqualified or anything. ... right?I've also joined the phildar swing jacket kal, which should be fun. I mean, look how cute it is! it would actually be more fun if I really thought I'd be able to knit the thing before the warm weather comes back. judging from the christmas gifts and what-not I have in que, it's looking pretty unlikely that I'll get further than a gauge swatch on that any time soon. but a girl can dream, can't she? please say yes.